Hand-wheel.



' No. 702,381. Patented June), 1902.

E. u. SEDDON.

HAND WHEEL. (Application filed Jan. 7, 1902.)

(No Model.)

INVENTOR V yaw UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

EDWARD HENRY SEDDON, OF BROOKLANDS, ENGLAND.

HAND-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0..'702,381, dated June10, 1902.

Application filed January 7, 1902. Serial No. 88,765. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD HENRY SED- DON, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, residing at Woodbourne, Brooklands, in the county ofChester, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHand -Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hand-wheels for turning spindles, such as thesteering handwheels for motor-driven vehicles; and its object is toneutralize the fatiguing effect of the vibrations transmitted throughthe wheels as hitherto made to the hand of the driver. This object isattained by forming the rim of the hand-Wheelof an elastic hollowannular fluid-tight tube provided with a non-return inlet-valve andfilled with a suitable fluid under pressure, such as air, which tube isof such size and shapethat vwhen gripped by the hand the fingers do notcome into contact with the rigid part of the wheel. 7

On the drawings appended hereunto,Figure 1 shows a side view, half insection, and Fig. 2 a half-plan, of a hand-wheel constructed inaccordance with my invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the rubber handle portion is pear-shaped incross-section and consists of the annular tube a of a given diameter andhaving an annular tubular extension a of less diameter formed on theinner periphery of the tube a.

a is a flat annular extension to the extension a.

The tube a is formed of vulcanized indiarubber with canvas insertion b,the extensions a and a likewise consisting of indiarubber, preferablywith canvas insertion, as shown, or they may be made of india-rubber ofa harder quality than the tube a.

The rim is fixed to the central part of the hand-wheel by means of thefiat annular extension a For this purpose the central part pressed airthrough the non-return or backpressure valve. Preferably it is formedwith a short india-rubber tube h, communicating with .its interior, intowhicha non-return valve h of any usual kind is fixed.

It is of importance to notice that not only the tube a but also theextensional tube a are beyond the metallic rim 0 of the wheel, therebyenabling the grip of the hands upon soft-warm rubber without touchingthe metal.

0; represents screws for fastening the annulus d to the rim 0.

I claim as my invention A hand-wheel consisting of the combina tion ofan annular rubber tube of a given diameter and having aninflating-valve, an annular rubber extension of smaller diameter ontheinner periphery of the first-named tube, the cross-section of the tubewith its extension being approximately pear -shaped, and a metallic rimfor said wheel, a plane annular extension 0, on the smaller rubberextension fitting upon said rim, a metal annulus, and fastening devicesfor clamping said annulus and extension a to said rim.

' In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twoWitnesses.

EDWARD HENRY SEDDON.

